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Welcome to the Cooper lab page!

I am the Research Leader of the Soybean Genomics and Improvement Laboratory (SGIL), USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD.

In addition to being responsible for the SGIL research portfolio, I conduct my own research. We at the Cooper lab characterize plant genes and the molecular signals important for plant disease resistance, and we identify the pathogen genes that have evolved to help the pathogen overcome plant defenses. One of our current interests is the interaction between soybean and the soybean rust fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi.